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GM sees 'strong year' in 2018, then gold in Chevy Silverado for 2019

DETROIT — General Motors said on Tuesday it expects earnings in 2018 to be largely flat compared with 2017, but that profits should pick up pace in 2019 as its revamped line of high-margin pickup trucks hits the U.S. market. The 2018 earnings outlook was above market expectations, sending GM shares up more than 3 percent in premarket trading. "GM had a very good 2017 as we continued to transform our company to be more focused, resilient and profitable," GM Chief Executive Mary Barra said in a statement. "We are positioned for another strong year in 2018 and an even better one in 2019." GM and its Detroit rivals, Ford and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, are bringing on new trucks at a time when overall U.S. new vehicle sales have been falling, but truck sales continue to grow as consumers abandon passenger cars in favor of pickups, SUVs and crossovers. GM on Saturday fired a new round in the battle for profits from one of the U.S. auto industry's most lucrative segments when it showed a new generation of its Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck at the Detroit auto show. The new Silverado, a highlight of the event, is the successor to GM's best-selling vehicle in North America. Sales of the current Silverado rose nearly 2 percent to 585,000 vehicles in 2017. In the coming months, the company will also reveal a revamped GMC Sierra pickup truck. U.S. new vehicle sales fell 2 percent in 2017 after hitting a record high in 2016, and are expected to drop further in 2018 as interest rates rise and more late-model used cars return to dealer lots to compete with new ones. GM said on Tuesday that while it retools a factory in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, to make the new pickup trucks, it will shift some production to an Oshawa, Ontario, plant in order to avoid missing sales in a hot market for the vehicles. The No. 1 U.S. automaker said it will record a $7 billion non-cash charge for its fourth-quarter 2017 earnings related to deferred tax assets. GM said it expects capital expenditure in 2018 of around $8.5 billion, about $1 billion of which will go toward funding self-driving car technology. Last week, the company said it is seeking U.S. government approval for a fully autonomous car — one without a steering wheel, brake pedal or accelerator pedal — to enter the automaker's first commercial ride-sharing fleet in 2019. GM said it expects 2017 earnings per share at the high end of its previously forecast range of $6 to $6.50.

Cadillac CT5 spied with quad exhaust, could signal a hotter version is coming

The 2020 Cadillac CT5 just broke cover at the NY Auto Show this year, but one of our spy shooters caught one decked out in camouflage looking a bit different than the versions we've already seen. Instead of the dual exhaust on both the turbocharged four-cylinder and twin-turbo V6, this one has a quad exhaust outlet. We'll note that the placement of the quad outlets is one and the same with the two larger outlets on the CT5 already revealed. Also, the rest of the car looks relatively ho-hum. It has the wheels from the CT5 Sport trim, and the front end appears to most closely represent the Luxury trim. Some of the coverings appear to be opened up on that front end, possibly in an attempt to increase airflow. The most obvious change of them all is the quad exhaust, though, which brings us back to a conversation we had with a Cadillac representative at the car's initial media launch. As we were standing around gawking at the new CT5 in Sport trim, a brand representative told us all the "Sport" models (four-cylinders and V6s) would be getting quad exhaust, while the "Luxury" trims would get dual exhaust. We pointed at the CT5 Sport right in front of us and noted that it just had a dual exhaust setup. This ended up causing more confusion, as the Cadillac representative was adamant that they had seen the CT5 Sport with quad exhaust. When all was said and done, there wasn't exactly a clear explanation given for what was up with this mysterious CT5 model with quad exhaust, so we left it at that. We can guess, though. Perhaps the Cadillac rep had seen a Sport model with quad exhaust, but it was a future "V-Sport" variant we weren't allowed to know of yet. Cadillac hasn't revealed its future plans for the CT5 fully, but it did hint that at least one performance variant would be on the way. This camo'd up car here does not look anything like a full-on V model, but it could be the beginnings of a slightly more powerful version of the sport sedan. The 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 makes 335 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque. Of course, there's always room for more power in this class, and a V-Sport model would slot in nicely to the new sedan's range. Keep in mind this all remains speculative in nature. However, our curious conversation with Cadillac combined with these spy shots signal that something could be afoot.

2020 Cadillac XT6 Sport Drivers' Notes | We have many mixed opinions

The 2020 Cadillac XT6 is Cadillac’s long-awaited answer to the numerous three-row luxury crossovers that have been on sale for years. It is not a shrunken Escalade. Instead, GM decided to pull one of its other well-used platforms for duty, with the XT6 being most similar to the GMC Acadia underneath. That means the Cadillac is rolling with similar running gear, too. Under the hood is a 3.6-liter V6 making 310 horsepower and 271 pound-feet of torque, mated to a nine-speed automatic transmission. Front-wheel drive is standard, but our Sport model has an upgraded all-wheel-drive system. It also has some other special mechanical bits to make it better than the standard XT6. For example, the Sport trim has continuously variable dampers that stiffen in Sport mode. That upgraded all-wheel drive system adds twin clutches on the axles to facilitate torque vectoring. And the steering ratio is changed to 15:1, as opposed to the 16:1 ratio used on Premium Luxury trim models. This XT6 Sport also features some exterior and interior finishes not seen on other XT6 models. Black trim dominates outside, headlined by a large, black mesh grille. Then on the inside, we get real carbon fiber trim. There are plenty of cool features like CadillacÂ’s Night Vision and the rear camera mirror, but Super Cruise still isnÂ’t available as an option on this Cadillac. GM has promised a wider adoption of Super Cruise for its lineup in the future, but weÂ’re not there yet. Before options, our XT6 Sport came in at $58,090, including the $995 destination charge. The $3,700 Platinum package adds semi-aniline leather seats, a suede headliner and premium carpeting throughout the cabin. A $2,350 Enhanced Visibility and Tech package brings us the eight-inch instrument cluster digital display, a head-up display, rear camera mirror, rear pedestrian alert and an automatic parking assist feature. Then, a $1,300 Driver Assist package adds adaptive cruise control and enhanced automatic emergency braking, including rear braking. Our car also has the $750 Comfort and Air Quality package, which adds heated rear seats, cooled front seats and an air ionizer for the cabin. The pretty Red Horizon Tintcoat costs $1,225, and the fancy Night Vision option adds another $2,000. That brings us to our grand total of $71,190.